Ward to Speak at ENMU-R

Post date: Oct 12, 2012 4:08:15 PM

As part of the “Creative Aging” program at ENMU-Ruidoso, Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Aging and Long-term Services, Retta Ward, will address a town hall meeting on Saturday, October 27 from 10:00 to 12:00 noon in Room 103. Ms. Ward will address statewide goals for the department and proposed initiatives in the year to come as well as her vision and outlook for seniors within the current political climate. A question and answer session will follow her talk. The discussion is free and open to everyone.A native of Hagerman, Ms. Ward has extensive experience in preventative and public health education. Her passion for public health began in undergraduate school, where she was the University of New Mexico’s top graduate in health education. She subsequently spent a number of years as a health educator for Albuquerque Public Schools. She earned a master’s in public health from the University of Arizona, completing an extensive research project on domestic violence in Nogales, Arizona, and later managed a program for the Arizona Department of Health Services.Today, she sees her role as emphasizing healthy aging through programs independent of government assistance. Several small communities throughout the country are experimenting with bartering and village concepts that Ms. Ward believes may be implemented here in New Mexico. The challenge for her department is the same as many other programs; how to survive budget cuts and assimilation while remaining an enriching resource for older citizens, the disabled and their caregivers. Please come with your questions. These are among the concerns expected to be addressed on October 27.

This town hall meeting is one of a series revolving around the needs and interests of those over the age of 50. A class on Creative Aging taught by Dr. Clara Farah is ongoing and takes place on Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm in Room 105. The class is free. For more information on the town hall meeting or the class, please call ENMU-Ruidoso Community Education at 257-3012